The Institute at SURF helps build quantum research collaboration at summer workshop

The Institute for Underground Science at SURF joined forces with the Great Plains Network (GPN) in partnership with the South Dakota Quantum Center initiative to host the 2025 Quantum Partnership Workshop at SURF.  The collaborative gathering is the second annual event aimed at building quantum research, infrastructure, and workforce capacity in the state and across the region.  

The workshop included universities and institutions from across South Dakota and from around the country.  Mickey Slimp, GPN’s executive director, sees huge potential in bringing together leading scientists, educators, and administrators.

“There's a great deal of opportunity in the partnerships being built with SURF, the South Dakota institutions, the Great Plains Network, and the other states doing quantum,” Slimp said. “We’re really at the starting stages of what we're doing with quantum networking in the country. We're trying to take the first steps in the next one to two years that can lead to major impacts in the next decade.”

Slimp notes this year’s workshop included a unique focus on quantum networking with an intended outcome of expanding the quantum footprint throughout the Midwest. This effort includes building the infrastructure that can handle the massive amounts of data possible in quantum computing. 

“There's a lot that needs to be done with the fiber optic infrastructure across the country. We're spending billions on fiber optics right now, yet much of it is not quantum compatible. So, one of our big tasks is to make sure that fiber that's going in the ground is quantum compatible, and that we're preparing the networks to move ahead,” said Slimp. 

Universities in South Dakota have the potential to provide quantum research capacity, infrastructure support, and workforce development. Brent Van Aartsen is the chief technology officer at Dakota State University.  

“I think as we start thinking about what the future quantum workforce looks like, that's where this annual workshop is going to be huge. We can start sorting out and planning for the jobs of the future,” Van Aartsen said.

Those jobs could range from top scientists and engineers on the cutting edge of the field to highly skilled technicians who can build and maintain unique quantum equipment and infrastructure. For Chip Byers, the chief technical strategist for the Missouri Research and Education Network (MOREnet), quantum workforce development is not just about higher education, it’s about inspiring students in K-12 to get excited about the potential in STEM.

 “Not only are you going to need scientists and engineers, but you need people who can build these machines, you need people who can put the fiber in and characterize that fiber. So, there's a whole range of workforce development, from people in the trades to those with Ph.D.s. We need to educate that broad spectrum of students,” Byers said. 

This need for a broad range of training and expertise to support research infrastructure is clearly evident at the Sanford Underground Research Facility. The multiple experiments underway at SURF are only possible thanks to an operations team of engineers and technicians.  The Cryogenic User Facility SURF is working to place underground would be no different; the facility will require a highly skilled workforce who can support quantum computing and sensing equipment. The hundreds of high-tech jobs created by SURF fulfill the original vision championed by state leaders and scientists who came together to create America’s Underground Lab more than 20 years ago.